The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) has called on the Vice Chancellor and theChairman of the Governing Council of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW) to resign immediately.
The
association alleged that the Vice Chancellor, Professor Anthony Afful-Broni and
Prof. Emmanuel Nicholas Abakah, chairman of the Governing Council had
engaged in various acts of financial malfeasance of GH¢5.7 million and also
breached regulations governing the administration of the university.
Addressing
a press conference in Accra yesterday, Dr Eric Opoku Mensah, National UTAG
President called for the immediate reinstatement of all lecturers and other
staff who were dismissed few weeks ago.
The
UTAG also appealed to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
(CHRAJ) to investigate the conflict of interest allegation made against Prof.
Abakah.
Dr
Mensah accused Prof. Abakah of using his position as chairman to engineer a
retroactive application of a statutory provision, which was not applied to him
when in active service to gain promotion.
“It
is eye opening to observe that Prof. Abakah failed statute wise, to gain promotion
under a previous administration, but under the administration of his protégé,
Prof. Afful-Broni, under a Governing Council that he Prof . Abakah chairs, that
the rules were tinkered to enable him to be promoted with retrospective effect
even after five years of his retirement,” he noted.
He
asked Prof. Afful-Broni to resign for his vindictive attitude and failure to
reconcile crises in the university.
The
UTAG boss observed that Prof. Abakah failed to provide guidance and proper
counsel to the entire Governing Council and the management of UEW.
He
noted that their conduct could deepen a new culture of fear and silence on the
university campus.
Dr
Mensah stated that lecturers were to be loyal to the Vice Chancellor and
failure to do so would lead to their victimisation saying “the university is
not a place to build a cult or a sect where fellowship is a necessity.”
He
noted that Prof. Afful-Broni was known to have exhibited vindictive tendencies
through a warped application of his oversight powers by stripping appointments
off people who were deemed to be sympathisers of the former vice chancellor of UEW.
In
addition, he said appointments were given to people perceived to be loyal to Prof.
Afful-Broni even though some of them were of lower rank.
He
indicated that Prof. Abakah benefitted in a pecuniary fashion because his
promotion was backdated to December19, 2013 hence, gained from back pay
calculated from December 2013.
“If
this decision did not border on conflict of interest , gross corruption, wanton
dissipation of public funds and bending rules to suit one’s self because one is
in power, then we do not know what else conflict of interest is,” he added.
Dr
Mensah said Prof. Abakah should have declined acceptance to the position of
Council Chairman due to the existence of a potential conflict of interest which
had clearly been actualised.
“His
biases, dislike and retributive vengeance have all contributed immensely to the
crises we find in UEW today,” he stated.
BY ABEDUWAA LUCY APPIAH
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